No One's Supposed To Know
by SupernaturalDreamer87
Summary: A phone call from Lisa sends Sam and Dean back into the lives of her and her young son Ben. Kids are getting sick and dying without medical reasoning why. The brothers find that secrets even the ones kept with the best of intentions can be very dangerous.
1. Chapter 1

**No One's Supposed to Know**

**Chapter 1**

It had been hard for Dean to walk out on Lisa and Ben that day. The mere possibility that Ben could have been his son had caused the doubt and worry that he had been trying so hard to push out of his mind to resurface. He had to forget, move on. But like all things in his life, it wasn't going to be easy.

Sam glanced sideways at his brother who sat behind the wheel of his beloved impala, absentmindedly humming along to the Metallica cassette blaring from the car's stereo. He knew the past few weeks had been rough for him whether he wanted to admit it or not. They were between hunts and it seemed that without his usual stuff to occupy his mind, Dean was miserable. He was moody and withdrawn and snapping at the closet target, who incidentally was usually Sam himself, at the drop of a hat.

Sam was frustrated, but above all sympathized with his older brother. He wanted more than anything for Dean to open up and let him in on what he was feeling. He knew him better than anyone. Did Dean really expect him to believe that he wasn't at least thinking about his impending death? However he had learned very on with Dean that it wasn't a good idea to push. Dean would open up when he was good and ready and until then Sam would just have to wait it out.

Suddenly ACDC's "Highway to Hell" mixed in with the Metallica, signaling Dean's phone was ringing. Wordlessly, he pulled the phone from underneath the sun visor, flipped it open and answered.

"Oh hey Lise it's good to hear from you," Dean said after a second.

Sam smiled, hearing his brother turn on the charm, he tuned him out. Maybe a call from Lisa and Ben was exactly what Dean needed to cheer him up.

Sam was focused on the scenery flying by the window, when he caught a change in Dean's tone and saw him turned down the volume of the music.

"Hang on Lisa, I'll put you on speaker," Dean said.

"Okay, now what makes you think something else supernatural is going on. We checked the place over before we left. Believe me, you should be fine."

"It's just a feeling Dean," Lisa's voice echoed back over the phone.

"Why do you feel like that?" Has something else happened?" Dean pressed.

"Kids at Ben's school have been getting sick," Lisa said.

"Sweetheart we're hunters not pediatricians," Dean replied.

"Sick and dying Dean," Lisa said firmly. "Three kids in the last month and there's no medical reasoning behind it. One day these children were perfectly healthy and suddenly they were at death's door. There just doesn't seem to be an explanation."

"No logical explanation you mean?" Dean questioned.

"Yes exactly," Lisa replied.

"Alright we're on our way, keep Ben safe alright?"

"I will and Dean… thanks."

"No problem," Dean said and flipped the phone closed.

"You really think something else is going on?" Sam asked.

"I dunno," Dean replied running a hand through his hair. "Lisa's not the type to overreact. She wouldn't have called us if she didn't think it was necessary."

Sam nodded. "If it is nothing," he said. "At least you'll get to see Ben again."

"Yeah," Dean muttered after a second.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**No One's Supposed To Know**

**Chapter 2**

Dean and Sam made good time. Around noon, just hours after Lisa's call, they were standing on her doorstep. Dean hesitated momentarily then rang the doorbell. The door opened almost instantly revealing Lisa who looked overly relieved to see them.

"Hey guys," she said, greeting each of them warmly with a hug. "Come in," she stepped aside allowing them into the house.

"Thanks again for coming; I wouldn't have called except that I didn't think that anyone else would trust what I was feeling."

"No problem Lise," Dean said. "So how's Ben?"

"Fine," Lisa said smiling. "He doesn't know you were coming. He'll flip when he finds out you're here. He's done nothing but talk about you two since you left; you've achieved superhero status in his eyes."

"Well I have been compared to Batman," Dean said with a smirk.

"So Lisa, can you tell us more about the kids that died? Did you know any of them?" Sam asked.

"Not personally no…but they all went to Ben's school. I've saved all the newspaper clippings about the deaths for you and there's high-speed Internet access in the living room. I know you probably want to get right to work so I won't bother you. Make yourselves at home and let me know if you need anything."

Sam and Dean set up base in the den. The newspaper clippings that Lisa had diligently saved for them were typical of any small town newspaper. They didn't seem to provide any obvious leads.

"Well other than the school, I can't see any connection. The first victim was a six-year-old little girl named Hannah McKenna. She was your typical first grader, with good grades, lots of friends, a love for animals….nothing unusual there." Sam stated.

"What about the other two?" Dean asked.

"Dylan Marcus, eleven, little league pitcher, boy scouts…."

"Aw come on Sammy one of these kiddos has to have a dark side," Dean scoffed.

"How 'bout lucky number three?" Sam asked. "Matt Tyler, ten, expelled twice for vandalism of school property, has a history of aggressive behavior toward students and school staff."

"Typical juvenile delinquent huh?"

Sam nodded. "Listen Dean, the only thing these kids have in common is this school. Whatever this thing is, I think we have to go there to find it. Except that we can't just waltz in and start asking questions, we'll look like terrorists."

"Sam don't worry I got that covered," Dean said.

Sam looked perplexed. But then, Dean turned and called to Lisa.

"Hey Lise is it alright if Ben's favorite superheros pick him up from school?"

"Sure I'll call the call the school and let them know you have permission."

Dean smirked "Let's go Robin," he said.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who took the time to review this story. I appreciate your comments and suggestions so much. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.

**No One's Supposed To Know**

**Chapter 3**

Dean steered the impala into the parking lot of Ben's elementary school, parked, cut the engine and looked at Sam. "Okay I got us here, now's your turn," he said.

Sam rolled his eyes and exited the vehicle, Dean followed suite. They walked inside the building.

"We need to go to the main office to get Ben, maybe we can scope out the nurses office from there," Sam said.

"Did the kids get sick here?" Dean asked.

"Just one, the first, Hannah, Sam said.

Dean nodded pondering the knowledge silently for a second. He trailed Sam down the long narrow hallway until they reached the door marked office.

Walking in, they found an elderly woman at the secretary's desk. She smiled. "Can I help you boys?"

"Yes were here to pick up our friend's son, Ben Braden."

"Oh yes his mother called earlier, I'll call him down for you."

"You wait for him," Sam whispered. "I'll go see if I can talk to the nurse."

Dean nodded and Sam slipped out silently.

He found the nurse's office without too much trouble; it was just across the hall.

After he knocked, the door opened and he was greeted by a heavy-set brunette woman in her mid-forties. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, my friend's son goes to school here and she's really concerned about his safety in light of the recent deaths of the three children. I was hoping I could talk to you and find out something to calm her down. No one really seems to know what's going on."

The nurse hesitated a minute but the stepped aside allowing him to enter.

"Believe me, I'm in shock too," she said. "Hannah the first little girl came to see me just four days before she died."

"Did she get sick a lot?"

"No, I can count on one hand the times she visited me since Kindergarten. Just like the paper said she was a typical little girl. She would scrape her knees on the playground and come in for me to patch her up."

"Did her symptoms seem life threatening a few days ago?"

"To me it was text-book influenza," the nurse said.

"The flu?" Sam questioned.

"Yes, she was running a fever of around 102 degrees, had a sore throat, coughing, sneezing, with chills and nausea."

"What did you do?" Sam asked.

"I phoned her mother," the nurse said. "I'm required to when a child comes in with a fever of one hundred or greater. She came in and picked her up and I advised the usual bed rest and fluids and to see a doctor if her temperature didn't go down. I thought she'd bounce back easily I would have never dreamed it would take her life," the nurse said. Now with two more kids, I've honestly never seen anything like it.

_Me either, _Sam thought.

"Well thank you for your time, my friend will be grateful for the information."

The woman nodded. "No problem."

Sam left and returned to the office to find Dean with an arm draped around a beaming Ben. "Hey Sam," he said cheerfully.

"Hey Ben," he greeted, ruffling the eight-year-old's semi-spiky hair. "You ready to escape from this place for the day?"

"Yep," he said.

"Well lead the way bud," Dean said smiling.

_This is the happiest he's been in awhile. _Sam thought observing his older brother as he fell in step with the little boy carrying on a conversation about Led Zeppelin's lyrics.

"Sam, people don't die from the flu," Dean said. "Cough, sneeze, puke maybe but not die and these are healthy kids were talking about."

It was around eleven that night. Ben had gone to bed. Dean had promised to take him cruising in the Impala the next day and he had reluctantly said goodnight to the two brothers.

"I know," Sam said. "It doesn't make any sense. Your typical everyday virus doesn't kill children. Something else is at work here."

"Yeah, we've established that Sammy," Dean said. "The question is what."

"I think we need to visit the kids' parents, see how they acted before and while they were sick. There has to be a link here somewhere. We just have to find it."

Dean nodded and wearily ran a hand through his hair. He had the feeling that they were in for another long day tomorrow.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**No One's Supposed To Know**

**Chapter 4**

Dean and Sam got the addresses of the three victims from Ben's class list and went to investigate their living situations. The first victim, Hannah McKenna's home looked like a snap-shot out of suburban America.

"Well what do you think Sammy….doesn't exactly look like a hot spot for paranormal activity does it?" Dean asked from behind the wheel of the impala.

"One way to find out," Sam said simply. He walked up the paved driveway Dean trailing behind him. Reaching the front door, Sam rang the doorbell, and leaned back on his heels to await an answer.

The door opened after a second revealing a petite dark haired woman who looked to be in her early thirties.

"Hi…were sorry to bother you…Mrs. McKenna I presume?" Sam asked.

"Yes," the woman said a bit guarded… Can I help you?" she asked.

"We're from the health department," Dean said officially as he and Sam flashed the woman one of the many fake ids they possessed.

"We were hoping to talk to you about Hannah."

The woman looked skeptical.

"We'll I'm sure by now that two other children have passed away from the same symptoms Hannah was experiencing. We just want to conduct a through investigation and make sure there isn't something we're missing. We've never seen anything like this and we want to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Preventive measures you understand," Dean said easily flashing the woman a smile.

"Of course," the woman said stepping aside to let them in.

Minutes later when the three of them were seated at the kitchen table over coffee, Dean began the questioning.

"Mrs. McKenna, can you tell me about when Hannah first started feeling ill? How did you find out she was sick?"

"Well that morning I woke Hannah up for school and went downstairs to fix my husband's coffee before work. My husband left and I went back upstairs to see if Hannah needed any help getting ready. She was up but moving a little slow. She didn't mention feeling sick so I thought she was just sleepy. I dropped her off at school and left for work just like normal.

"When did you get the call from the school that she was sick?" Sam asked.

"Around noon, my secretary interrupted my meeting saying that the school nurse had phoned and that Hannah was sick."

"So you picked her up…did you get any impression that she was in any danger….did you think that she had anything worse than the flu?"

"No….but she kept getting worse. She started vomiting and got so dehydrated….she couldn't keep anything down."

"Did you see a doctor?" Sam asked

Mrs. McKenna looked uncomfortable "No...it happened so fast, before we knew it, it was too late to save her….it was awful toward the end. She was delirious from the fever.

"Delirious meaning…" Sam prodded.

She was hallucinating, seeing things….well a person, a little boy. She kept saying to me Mommy; he says you have to tell. You have to tell to save me."

"You didn't understand what she meant?"

"It was her fever; she didn't know what she was saying."

"But this boy she saw…did you tell you what he looked like….did she say he had a name?

"Well yes….she said his name was Andrew. But it was all in her head, he wasn't real the only people here was her father and I."

Dean nodded. Thank you Mrs. McKenna," he said. "I think we have all the information we need. We'll show ourselves out."

"Something about that woman was just…" Dean struggled to finish the sentence as he sat behind the wheel of the impala after leaving the McKenna home.

"Fake?" Sam offered.

"Yeah she was little to Stepford wives for me. She didn't even take the kid to the doctor, I mean yeah maybe it was too late but….there's just something wrong with that. So, what do you make of this Andrew stuff? Ghost….death omen in the form of a ghost?"

"I've never heard of death omens targeting children," Sam said. "But, I've also never heard of a ghost showing up and making demands."

"Me either," Dean replied. "Maybe we should do some more digging before the visit the other parents. If we can get a better handle on what we're dealing with it will be easier to connect the other kids' stories."

Sam merely nodded in response and with that decided Dean cranked up the radio.

"Dean do you have any idea how many kids named Andrew could have died in the past few centuries, we don't know what time period he's from, the exact age, cause of death…."

"Okay, I get it Sam we're clueless," Dean said. "What do you suggest we do about that?"

Sam sighed and rubbed his eyes. "How 'bout we take a break?" He suggested. "We're not getting anywhere."

Dean turned his head slightly and studied his younger brother. Normally Sam wouldn't quit until they cracked a case, that or Dean threatened to throw his laptop out of the speeding impala. Clearly Sam was frustrated.

"Okay maybe you're right, maybe we need to leave it alone for awhile. I got to go anyway. I promised a certain eight-year-old a ride in the coolest car in the world."

"Have fun," Sam said.

Sam was frustrated. Frustrated that regardless of the number of aspirin he consumed, they did nothing to ease the pain in his head that was pulsating with his heartbeat. After waking up feeling under the weather, he had tried to tell himself everything to justify why he wasn't feeling well: lack of sleep, too much caffeine, or not enough. But, he was running out of reasons and feeing worse by the minute. Truth be told, it had taken all that he had not to vomit while under the scrutiny of his brother's gaze. The second Dean left to pick Ben up from school, Sam had escaped to the bathroom his stomach terribly uneasy and threatening to betray him at any moment.

After being revisited by everything he had eaten in the past twenty-four hours, Sam, drained of his energy leaned back against the shower stall, his damp bangs falling into his eyes. Summoning every ounce of his strength, He stood up and pulled open the medicine cabinet. Locating a thermometer, he stuck it under his tongue. Minutes later, it beeped shrilly and Sam removed it.

"Crap," Sam muttered.

_103.7 _The numbers told him what Sam already knew. He was screwed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Dean spent the afternoon cruising in the impala with Ben. It was just what he needed to clear his head. After he returned home, he went upstairs ready to jump back into to their latest case, only to find that Sam wasn't in their room.

Curious, Dean went to check the guest bathroom the two of them had been sharing since they had arrived. The door was shut and Dean tapped on it.

"Sammy hurry it up, we've got to get back to this."

When he didn't receive a response, Dean became concerned.

"Sam?"

Something was wrong, Dean realized then. He pushed the door and it opened easily, having not been locked. Dean froze then his breathe catching in his throat. Sam was lying unconscious on the bathroom floor; his face was pale and sweaty with his hair plastered to his forehead.

"Oh dear God Sam!" Dean dropped to his knees at Sam's side; he pressed two fingers into the side of his brother's neck relieved when he felt a pulse. He brushed Sam's hair back. "Sammy, come on little Bro don't do this is to me." Dean pleaded.

Finally, he felt Sam stir, a whimper escaping him.

"Dean?" he asked weakly.

"Yeah dude it's me…you scared me man what happened?"

"I guess I'm sick." Sam said.

"Yeah Sammy I got that much…come on you need to be in bed." Dean helped Sam stand, shouldering the majority of his brother's weight. He carefully guided Sam to bed.

Sam exhaled weakly and eased back against the pillow.

"Well?" Dean asked expectantly.

"Well what?" Sam asked confused.

"Don't play dumb with me Sam; I've been gone for a couple hours tops. You were fine when I left, aside from being a little irritable. Did this illness suddenly overtake you or have you been sick for awhile?"

Sam flinched as Dean's voice caused his headache to sharpen.

"This morning," Sam said. He closed his eyes to keep from seeing the look that he knew crossed Dean's face at that moment.

"So you've been sick all day," Dean said angrily. What the hell Sam when where you planning on telling me…. when ghost boy shows up for a chat?"

"Dean please….," Sam pleaded. He didn't have the strength to carry on a shouting match with his older brother.

"Don't _Dean_ me, Sammy, do you realize how stupid you were, how do we know how fast this thing, whatever it is works. You could've been dead by now."

_I'm supposed to be aren't I? _ Sam thought bitterly. However, he didn't dare verbalize the thought for fear that it would send his brother even further over the edge. If twenty-five years with Dean had taught him anything it was that he didn't push his big brother's buttons. Sarcastic comments about why he was still alive would do just that.

"Fine Dean I screwed up, I was stupid, what else do you want me to say?" Sam asked.

Dean eyes flickered momentarily and Sam braced himself but as quickly as it came it was gone.

"Go to sleep Sam," he said calmly.

Sam gave his brother a grateful look and slumped down on the bed. "For what it's worth I'm sorry, it was stupid."

"Yeah it was," Dean said to the younger man, who was already drifting off. "And when you beat this I'm kicking your ass."

Sam didn't reply he was out.

Later that night, Lisa came home from work to find the house silent. She went upstairs and knocked on Dean and Sam's door.

The door opened to reveal a tired and disheveled looking Dean. "Hey Lise," he said wearily.

"Long day?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah….you might say that."

"Where's Ben?"

"Asleep….he already ate; I took him out for pizza."

"So, any luck on the case?"

"None….and I'm running out of time."

"What?" Lisa asked confused.

Dean hesitated, and then pulled the door closed, stepping into the hallway. "Lisa….Sam's sick.

"Oh my god…when did he…," Lisa's voice trailed off.

"I'm not sure exactly." Dean said.

Lisa looked perplexed.

"Apparently he didn't think it was necessary to mention it to me right away," Dean said doing nothing to hide the aggravation he felt toward Sam. He loved his little brother, had given his own life for him and would do again in a heartbeat, but sometimes it was all he could do not to choke him...maybe that was typical for most brothers.

"When did you find out," Lisa asked.

"Well Sam's not been himself all day but I thought he was just frustrated about this case, we have no idea what we're dealing with after all. I left for a couple of hours to pick up Ben and take him out to eat and when I came back, he was out passed out in the bathroom. I practically carried him back to bed."

"I'm guessing you don't think it's a coincidence he suddenly fell ill," Lisa said.

"We're Winchesters Lisa, we're not lucky enough to deal with coincidences."

Lisa gave him sympathetic look and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Why don't you come downstairs for awhile he's asleep he'll be fine for awhile, you look like you could use a break."

Dean hesitated but relented and trailed Lisa downstairs. A few minutes later the two of them were lounging on the sofa drinking coffee.

"This is my fault," Lisa said miserably. "If anything happens to Sam…."

"Lise don't," Dean said firmly. "Believe me, we've been through worse….Sam's been through worse." _Much worse, _Dean thought with a shudder.

Lisa was quiet for a minute. "He's all you have isn't he?' she said solemnly.

"Yeah….I've spent my whole life trying to keep him safe be it from bullies or poltergeists."

"I didn't want this for him. He didn't ask for it. He wanted to be normal. My dad….he didn't understand Sam….didn't try to. I mean anyone would kill to have a kid like Sammy. Valedictorian, full ride to Stanford…but not dad….he saw it as betraying the family."

"What about you?" Lisa asked.

"Me what?"

"How did you feel when he left for college?"

Dean sighed heavily. "A part of me resented him I guess. I mean he got out and was able to live his own life for awhile. But, for the most part I was terrified for him."

"Why?"

"Because unlike most people I know what's out there…and how evil it is….I just wanted to be able to protect him from it."

"It must have been awful growing up…..you didn't get to be kids."

Dean shook his head bitterly. "I remember when Sam was in seventh grade…all he wanted to do was play soccer and my dad would have nothing of it. But, Sam wouldn't listen. He snuck around for the whole season…Dad almost killed us when he found out."

"Us?" Lisa asked.

Dean smirked. "Who do you think was driving him to practice?"

Lisa smiled; before she realized she was leaning against him They were almost asleep when a voice startled them.

"Mom?"

Dean and Lisa pulled back from each other instantly. In the dim light of the hallway, Ben was standing in car pajamas.

"Sweetie why are you up its late."

"Mom I don't feel good."

Lisa's face paled and she and Dean rushed to Ben's side. Dean pressed a hand to Ben's forehead and immediately felt the heat radiating from his fever. "Crap, he's burning up," he said. "Dean what do we do?" Lisa asked on the verge of tears. Dean sighed and lifted Ben onto his shoulder. "Let's get you back in bed buddy," he said gently. He carried Ben upstairs to his room, tucked him into bed and turned back to Lisa.

"Look let me handle everything. Just take care of him alright?" Lisa nodded and Dean left the two of them alone. Walking back downstairs he grabbed his cell phone and dialed. When a familiar voice picked up, he said: "Look Bobby I need your help with this one, I'll explain when you get here…just hurry…please."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**No One's Supposed to Know**

**Chapter 6**

Bobby arrived promptly at two the next morning. Lisa ushered him in instantly. "Dean's upstairs," she said. "I told him to get some sleep, but I think that order fell on death ears," Bobby nodded and followed Lisa's direction up the narrow staircase and down the hall to the room the brothers were sharing.

Dean was sitting in an armchair beside the unmade of the two beds. The eldest Winchester looked a little worse for the wear; lack of sleep was evident in the dark circles underneath his eyes.

"Hey Bobby," he said, his voice emotionless.

"Hey Dean…well I'm here what do you need?"

Dean started to speak, but at that moment Sam's voice said his name. Instantly, he was up and guiding Sam back to bed.

Bobby stepped in, grasping Sam's other side and helping Dean ease him back onto the bed.

"My God Sam you look like crap," he said taking in the young man's appearance.

"Nice to see you too Bobby," Sam quipped as he collapsed back against the pillow.

"You alright?" Dean asked sponging Sam's face off with a washcloth.

"Dean go," Sam insisted.

Dean nodded and motioned Bobby out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Sam's sick?" Bobby questioned.

"Yeah he's got the flu," Dean said.

"In the middle of a hunt that's inconvenient."

"You have no idea Bobby," Dean said.

"What is it Dean, you wouldn't have phoned me in the dead of night just because Sam got sick."

"Under normal circumstances no…but this is anything but. You see Bobby this case we're working on…the victims have died from coming down with the flu."

"And now Sam's sick…aw crap."

"Yeah and Lisa's son Ben is sick too."

"Ben…as in the kid you thought could be…"

"Yeah," Dean said simply.

Bobby sighed heavily. "Well it looks like we've got work to do."

"Let's go," Dean said.

"Not so fast Dean," Bobby replied. "You look like you haven't slept in days. I know you want to help your brother and Ben but you can't do it if you fall off your feet from exhaustion. Besides, you're forgetting it's two in the morning. We'll leave first light I promise but for now try to get some rest."

Dean scowled but didn't feel like arguing. He obediently stretched out on the bed as Bobby returned downstairs to read their notes and get up to date on the case. He glanced at Sam who had already fallen back into an illness induced slumber.

"Hang in there little brother. I'll get you and Ben out of this if it's the last thing I do."

After spending three hours alternating between guiding Sam back and forth to bed and staring at the ceiling, Dean got up to get dressed.

Sam stirred then and Dean glanced at the clock. It had been only twenty minutes since the last time Sam had gotten sick. Couldn't the guy catch a break?

"Sammy you awake?"

"Mmmph," Sam moaned, his glassy eyes struggling to bring his brother into focus.

"Hey Dean," he said weakly.

"Listen dude I'm out of here. Bobby and I are gonna go figure out how to beat this thing. You just try to get some rest alright?"

"Okay"

"Lisa knows where I am if you need me," Dean said gently giving Sam's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

He turned to leave.

"Dean?"

"Yeah ?"

"Be careful."

"Don't worry 'bout me Sammy. Your big brother's invincible remember?"

Satisfied with the weak eye roll he got in response, Dean left.

He slipped down the hall to Ben's bedroom. Lisa was sitting on the edge of her son's bed tracing her fingers through the sleeping boy's hair.

"Hey," Dean said gently.

Lisa looked up and Dean could see the dried tearstains underneath her eyes

"Hi," she said.

"How's he doing?"

"He was up most of the night vomiting. I doubt he would be asleep now if it wasn't for utter exhaustion…andI can't keep his temperature down."

Dean winced. The scenario sounded eerily similar to the night he had had with Sam. The bouts of sickness combined with Sam's ever-rising temperature had drained his younger brother quickly. He had long since stopped feeding him doses of Tylenol; Dean doubted the medication was formulated to combat the demonic version of influenza and Sam couldn't keep the medicine down long enough for it do him any good. Dean was quite certain Sam would have spent the night camped out on the bathroom floor had it not been for his insistence on carrying him back to bed.

"Sam's about the same," Lisa said reading Dean's mind.

Dean nodded miserably.

"I'm so scared Dean," Lisa said. Dean draped an arm around her shoulder and tipped her chin back until she was looking into his eyes. "Lisa listen to me," he said. "Ben and Sam are gonna be fine. I'll make sure of it."

Hearing the determination in his voice, Lisa smiled gravely and for the millionth time that week thanked God he was there.

"If either of them gets worse…"

"I'll call Dean I promise."

Dean nodded. He stood, tucked the blanket underneath Ben's chin, and left before Lisa could see the tears in his eyes.

He walked downstairs to find Bobby on Sam's laptop.

"Getting anywhere?" Dean asked glumly.

"Nowhere you boys haven't covered," Bobby replied. "You're good at what you do I don't know if I've ever told you that."

"Yeah well remind me that after we save Sam and Ben's lives okay?" Dean replied as he shrugged into his leather jacket.

"They'll be fine Dean. We'll figure this out."

"What are you gonna do?" Dean asked.

"Talk to the parents again…like it or not they were the last and possibly only people who dealt with these kids throughout their illnesses. They should be able to tell us something."

"Yeah good luck with that," Dean said. "I hope you have better luck than me and Sam did." The thought of speaking with Mrs. McKenna made Dean's stomach turn.

"What about you?"

"Well I'm guessing that whatever we need to know the parents either don't know or aren't willing to tell us, so we'll just have to find out for ourselves."

"What do you think that something is?" Bobby asked.

"I'll let you know when I find out," Dean said.

Hours later, Dean had used every fake id he possessed and found that the parents of the victims had plenty to hide, nothing seemingly useful, but plenty to hide. For instance, the McKenna's doctor records revealed exactly why Hannah's mother had avoided taking the young girl to the doctor, her beloved husband, Mr. McKenna wasn't Hannah's biological father and Dean was guessing the poor guy was none the wiser.

Dean was just about to call Lisa to report his disappointing findings when his cell rang.

"Hello?"

"Dean," a weak voice said.

"Sam what are you doing out of bed?" Dean asked, wincing as it was obvious Sam was growing weaker and he was running out of time.

"Dean…Andrew Friedman that's the kid's name."

"What…how do you know?"

"He told me."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**No One's Supposed To Know **

**Chapter 7**

Sam Winchester had dealt with countless spirits over the course of his lifetime; however it was safe to say that Andrew Friedman was unique. He had awakened to find the young boy sitting against the wall beside the door staring at him silently. He lacked the transparency of some of the other spirits that he and Dean had encountered, instead he reminded Sam of a porcelain doll with his delicate features.

At first Sam didn't know how to react, not to say that he hadn't been expecting a visit from Andrew, but this wasn't what he had pictured. The boy's skin was pale just a shade lighter than his white blonde hair. He studied Sam intently with piercing blue eyes.

Sam pushed the cover off of him and very slowly sat up, dizziness washing over him, he closed his eyes. At last achieving equilibrium he opened his eyes and focused on the spirit.

"Andrew?" He asked.

"You know my name," it said.

"Yes…I've heard about you," Sam said wondering what in God's name he was doing chatting with what could be a sign of his impending demise and even more surprised that it had answered back. Still, Sam tried again.

"What's your last name?"

"Friedman," the voice replied in the same cotton-like whisper.

Sam leaned over and pulled the drawer of the nightstand open, took out a pad and pen and scribbled the full name down. He could hear his brother's voice in his head mocking him. "Dude, death's staring you in the face and you're taking notes?" However, he was finally able to tie a full name to the spirit that had been evading them and in his feverish state Sam didn't trust himself to remember it.

He looked back up. "Why are you here?"

"He has to tell. It's the only way."

"Tell what? The truth…someone has to tell the truth?"

Andrew just looked at him then, unresponsive. The blue eyes not blinking. Then, he vanished before Sam's eyes.

A cold chill washed over Sam then, and he was certain it wasn't due to his illness. He stood to his full height and quickly regretted it. When the nausea subsided at last, Sam crept to the corner of the room where his belongings lay in a heap on the floor. He sat down against the wall, only a few feet from where Andrew had been sitting. He pulled his cell from the pocket of his laptop case and called his brother.

Dean flipped the phone shut, his brother's weak voice still echoing in his head. Andrew was here and after his brother and he wasn't going to stand for it. Without wasting another second he phoned Bobby.

"Meet me back at Lisa's," he said firmly. "We got a name."

"What how?" Bobby asked.

"Sam's been playing twenty questions," Dean said and hung up.

Within fifteen minutes Dean was back at his brother's bedside. "We need to find out where he's buried and torch the remains," he said.

"I don't think a simple salt and burn is going to solve our problems Dean," Bobby said gently. "The kid wants something, maybe revenge, maybe we're dealing with a murder and he wants his killer brought to justice."

"That doesn't explain why he would come after Sam and Ben…or any of the other kids, they've never seen him before," Lisa said, glancing sympathetically at her son who was asleep in the bed Dean had been using.

"I don't think it was murder," Sam said. "But he does want something told."

"I just think its odd how the kids are dying," Lisa said.

"Maybe that's how Andrew died," Dean said.

"But you said yourself Dean, who dies from the flu?"

"Someone whose immune system is compromised," Sam offered. "Maybe he was sick and that's why he died so young."

"You said his name was Friedman right?" Lisa asked after a second.

Sam nodded.

"What?" Dean asked urgently.

"It's just that…the hospital here received a large donation recently. An elderly couple was killed in a car crash a while back and they left everything they had to the hospital…because it had taken such good care of their son while he was alive."

"You thinking the kid was Andrew?" Bobby asked.

Dean stood quickly. "I'll go check the hospital records," he said.

"I'll go Dean, they'll get suspicious if you show up again," Bobby said.

Dean agreed reluctantly, sat back down and watched Bobby leave

Having nothing to do while he waited for Bobby's call, Dean sat in the armchair beside Sam's bed. Sam was back asleep again, the few minutes he was awake had drained him. Suddenly, Ben stirred and sat up in bed.

"Hey bud," Dean said gently. "How you feeling?" But, Ben didn't look at him; he starred at the opposite wall.

"Ben?"

Dean followed his gaze, although he saw nothing he knew instantly what or who rather had caught the child's attention. Fear enveloping his features, Ben screamed. Dean reached him in seconds, pulling him into a tight hug. "Ben listen to me, he won't hurt you. I'm here. I won't let him hurt you." Ben whimpered, his face buried into Dean's chest, Dean could feel his shirt being soaked with the boy's tears. Lisa appeared a panic-stricken look on her face. However, Dean had quickly taken control of the situation.

"Is he okay?" She whispered.

Dean nodded looking down at Ben. "He saw him…but he's back asleep now," he said.

Lisa starred at her son and then Sam.

"What does he want with them?" She asked pleadingly.

"I dunno…but he has to go through me to get to either of them."

Lisa started to shift Ben off Dean's chest, but he stopped her. "He's fine. If we move him he'll wake up again."

Lisa nodded.

What Dean didn't say was that he needed to feel Ben's heartbeat against his. He had to know that he was still fighting. Right now, it was one of the only comforts he had to hold onto.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note:** Last chapter everyone! I know it's probably a little unexpected, but it just didn't feel right to drag it out any longer. As always thanks to my awesome readers for all their positive reviews. I hope I've answered all your questions. One more thing, I'm debating on starting a sequel in a few weeks, let me know what you think.

**No One's Supposed To Know**

**Chapter 8**

Dean was almost asleep, Ben still dozing on his chest when Bobby and Lisa walked through the door. He sat up at full alert, gently shifting Ben onto the pillow.

"Well? Tell me you got something," he said.

"Wake Sam," Bobby directed. "He'll want to hear this too."

Dean brushed Sam's bangs back. "Sammy...wake up."

Sam's eyes fluttered open after a few seconds.

"Bobby's back," Dean explained.

Dean helped his brother into a sitting position, propping pillows behind him. At last, both brothers were focused on Bobby.

The older hunter adjusted his baseball cap as he began the story.

"Andrew Friedman grew up in the 1960's. He attended Ben's school when it was first built, or at least he did the few times he was well enough to go. At around the age of two or so, he started experiencing health issues, repeated infections, he saw countless doctors but no one could figure out what was wrong."

"So the kid was sick, we figured that much Bobby," Dean said.

Bobby gave Dean a look that told him to be quiet and with a sigh the older Winchester held his tongue.

"Toward the end of his life Andrew was diagnosed with a rare immune deficiency."

"Why did it take so long to diagnose?" Sam questioned. He was sick frequently, seems as if the logical explanation would be an immune deficiency."

"That's just the thing Sam; the doctors didn't find it because it wasn't there. This particular disease was genetic and both of his parents had to be a carrier of the specific gene."

"So?" Dean asked.

"Neither of his parents were carriers."

"But how then…?" Dean's voice trailed off, he was completely confused.

"They weren't his parents," Lisa said.

"Right…Andrew was adopted. His parents lied about his history and gave their own medical records as opposed to that of his birth parents."

"That still doesn't explain why an eight-year-old spirit is wreaking havoc on us," Dean said bitterly

"What if Andrew didn't know?" Sam said.

"Know what?" Dean asked.

"That he was adopted…his parents lied to his doctors seems only right they would lie to him too."

"What are you getting at Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Dean think about it. You find out your kid's dying, so you think you have to lay all the cards on the table. What if Andrew didn't find out the truth until he was on his death bed? How do you think it felt finding out that he'd been lied to his whole life?"

"It would suck," Dean said.

"Exactly…so much so that Andrew would feel it right to return and punish people for lying to the ones they love their flesh and blood. You said all the parents had secrets right?"

"Yeah…Mr. McKenna wasn't Hannah's father, Dylan's mom was sending the fundraising proceeds from his Boy Scout troop right into her personal back account and Matt's mom…her job was listed as waitress, but I visited her place of employment and trust me she wasn't a waitress by any stretch of the imagination….But, I still don't see how all this adds up Sammy. For one our parents are both…dead." Dean said after a second. "So why are you sick?"

"Like I said Dean, I don't think it has to be parent and child. It's the person that the person with the secret cares about the most that falls ill."

"What…me…you think you're sick because of me. Sammy trust me I'm not lying to you and you're the only family I have."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sam said quietly.

"But Sam I promise. I'm not…"

"Not that you're lying to me Dean, that I'm the only family you have," Sam said.

Dean froze his breathe catching in his throat at last reading Sam's train of thought. His gaze fell on Lisa.

"Lisa…," he stammered. "Ben…he's mine isn't he? He's my son and he doesn't know that's why he's sick."

Dean didn't need to see Lisa's tearful nod for confirmation. He sank heavily onto the edge of Sam's bed, his eyes focused on the little boy sleeping beside him.

"I wanted to tell you Dean, you have to believe me. It's just that…I couldn't do that to Ben."

"Do what?" Dean asked angrily. "You don't think I'm good enough to be his father. Is that it? Lisa you said yourself I wanted it to be true. Lisa, I love him already."

"And he loves you Dean, that's just it. He adores you….Dean I've heard you talk about your dad, how hunting took him away from you, how you've practically raised Sam yourself. Dean, I couldn't tell Ben that you were his father only to have you walk out of his life again."

"You're right Lisa. I didn't have a father growing up and you know what…it hurt like hell. What makes you think I would do that to my son?"

"I know you wouldn't now Dean. Its part of the reason I brought you back here. I wanted you to know the truth."

Dean was silent. As hurt and betrayed he felt, he really couldn't blame Lisa. After all she was protecting her son, their son.

"Wait," Dean said. "I still don't get why you're sick Sam?"

"Dean don't you see…Ben's your son and he doesn't know his dad is dying….and I can't let you tell him."

"What do you mean you can't let me, Sammy if I don't you'll…"

"Exactly Dean I'll die and the deal will be broken. Dean once Lisa tells Ben the truth, he'll get better and he deserves to have a dad. Stay here with Lisa and raise him…give him what we didn't have growing up."

"Just let you die…gee Sam why didn't I think of that. It will just solve all our problems won't it?"

"Dean…."

"You've got it all figured out don't you Sammy? But there's one thing you're forgetting little bro. Doesn't Ben deserve to have you in his life too? Sam face it, I can teach him all there's to know about Zeppelin and the like, but he'll need someone to school him on the less important stuff. I think his college boy uncle would come in handy at times." Dean said his voice shaky as he blinked back tears.

"Jerk," Sam muttered weakly.

"Bitch," Dean replied. "Sam look, I know you want to save me…but not like this it's not worth it. I won't let you understand?"

"Who says you can stop me?" Sam said in the same defiant tone Dean had heard his brother use so many times as a rebellious teenager.

"Dean…our lives are screwed up all because of me. Think about it. Mom would still be alive if I had never been born, dad wouldn't have started hunting…and Jess, the only mistake she ever made was falling in love with me. Face it Dean, everybody I love….I just end up hurting them whether I want to or not. Believe me; you'll all be better off without me."

"Do you really think it's that simple Sammy? You think I can just sit back and watch you die and then go on like nothing's happened. You know me better than that don't you? Sammy, I don't blame you for any of this."

"Maybe you should," Sam said quietly.

"Boy do you hear a word your brother is saying? Get it through your head, this isn't your fault…Sam, your dad and brother, they've sacrificed everything to keep you safe. Is this really how you want to repay them?"

"That's just it Bobby…none of this is fair they shouldn't have to…"

"But we wanted to Sam that's the part you don't get…Dad and I…we didn't do what we did because we had to…we did it because we loved you Sammy. You don't think it's fair that I'm willing to die to save you look at it this way…tell me you wouldn't do the same for me."

Sam was silent. He understood everything Dean and Bobby were saying but it couldn't take away the guilt he was feeling. Still it was obvious he was outnumbered in his opinion. He had to let Dean win this one…but that didn't mean he was any less determined to get him out of the deal.

"We'll figure everything out Sammy…I promise But, for now let's just get you and Ben better okay?"

"Okay," Sam said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Dean stood shakily, swiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Can you please tell me what's going on Dean? What do you mean you're dying?"

Dean had almost forgotten Lisa was in the room. He glanced at her and then Ben.

"Wake up our son. I don't think I can tell this story more than once," Dean said.

Lisa nodded. She walked over to Ben's bed and rested a hand on his forehead. "Ben…Ben wake up baby."

Ben opened his eyes after a few seconds.

"Hey sweetie…listen there's something I need to tell you…something I should've told you a long time ago. Lisa paused choosing her words carefully. "Ben…there's a reason you and Dean have so much in common. Sweetie, Dean is…your dad."

"What?" the eight-year old said his eyes falling on Dean. "But how...I don't understand...mom why didn't you…?"

"Don't get mad at her kiddo," Dean said gently, tracing a hand over Ben's hair. "Your mom and I met a few years ago…only for a weekend and I left before she found out. Believe me, I wouldn't have been the best dad back then and she knew it as well as I did."

"But, he's long since proven him self worthy…he saved your life after all."

"Now that you know…will you stay?" Ben said hopefully. "You're not going to leave again are you?"

Dean felt his heart shattered into a million pieces. How could he bring himself to tell his son that unless some miracle occurred he would only have him in his life for less than a year?

"Ben I want to stay….believe me when I say I would like nothing better than to stay here and be your dad, there's nothing else in the world I would like better. But the thing is…I'm only going to be alive for a little while longer."

"What do you mean?" Ben stammered his eyes growing wide. "Are you sick?"

"Not exactly….you see Sam….he's alive because of me. About a month ago, Sam died….and I made a deal to bring him back. The catch is I only got a year left to live because of it."

"That's the situation you were talking about," Lisa said quietly. "You're dying so you wanted to leave something behind."

Dean nodded.

"But Ben I can promise you this. In the time I have left…I'll be the best dad I can be."

Ben nodded, crying. He flung his arms around Dean's neck. Dean held him, biting his lip to keep from shedding tears of his own.

"It's worth it," Ben choked out.

"What?"

"Even if I have to lose you…it will be worth knowing I have the coolest dad in the world…for a little while."

Dean kissed Ben's forehead and realized, breathing a sigh of relief that his fever had broken.

Hours later, Ben had fallen back asleep. Dean lay stretched out beside him listening to his son's breathing.

"Is this fair to him Sam?" He asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe Lisa was right. My world is so screwed up I don't think it's fair to bring Ben into it. Maybe he is better off without me."

"Dean did you not hear him tonight? He was elated."

"Yeah and in a year his heart's gonna break."

"Dean….if you knew dad was gonna die…if you knew the whole situation before hand, would you still have wanted him in your life?"

"What the hell kind of question is that Sammy? Of course I would have."

"That's how Ben feels. If you're only with him for a day, it will be worth it to know that he has a dad who loves him. Besides, you're not going to die."

"Sam stop it…there's no way out of this you just have to accept it."

"Dean…tonight remember what you said about not letting me die, how you wouldn't stand by and watch it happen…it works both ways Bro. I'm not gonna sit back and watch you slip away. You're my big brother and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Whatever it takes, I'm getting you out of this. Your son will have his father, I promise."

"What if I'm not a good dad?" Dean said.

"Trust me, you'll do fine," Sam said.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Easy…because you've done it for over twenty-five years."

The End


End file.
